Statement regarding the 2015 Nobel Prize in physics

October 6, 2015

On behalf of Queen’s University faculty, staff, students and alumni, it is with great pleasure that I express our heartfelt congratulations to Professor Emeritus Arthur McDonald, who has been named the co-winner of this year's Nobel Prize in physics.

Professor McDonald shares the Nobel Prize with Professor Takaaki Kajita of the University of Tokyo for their key contributions to the experiments at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) that demonstrated that neutrinos have mass and change identities.

An award-winning, world-renowned researcher, Professor McDonald has made important contributions to nuclear and particle physics that span more than four decades. He earned his doctorate at the California Institute of Technology and joined Queen’s Department of Physics, Astronomy and Engineering Physics in 1989. He was formerly the director of SNO and was the inaugural holder of the Gordon and Patricia Gray Chair in Particle Astrophysics at Queen’s.

Professor McDonald’s scientific contributions have advanced our understanding of matter and set a path for new directions in the study of astrophysics. The success of the groundbreaking research at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory is due in large part to his persistence, dedication and leadership. The Queen’s community is proud to have his achievements recognized with a Nobel Prize.

Queen’s is a world leader in particle astrophysics, one of the many research strengths that distinguish the university as one of Canada’s leading research-intensive universities. The university is committed to supporting its faculty across disciplines as they pursue new and transformative discoveries.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. McDonald, his wife Janet and family, as well as his many colleagues at Queen’s, across Canada and around the world.